My Review:
It’s 1940 and the war is in full swing. Edie takes a job with the SOE, as an escape from a turbulent past and soon finds herself being dispatched to occupied France to work as a wireless operator. Once there she discovers how dangerous things are in France and has to learn the ropes very quickly. When the unthinkable happens, Edie has to draw on all her strength and training to survive. In London, Vera works hard at her job with the SOE training and dispatching agents to occupied France. But Vera is hiding a secret of her own and when Edie goes missing her loyalty is tested.
Clare Harvey certainly knows how to write gripping and atmospheric historical fiction. I was immediately drawn into the story wanting to read more to discover what was going to happen next. I felt that she perfectly evoked the atmosphere of World War Two London and Paris. There was a constant feeling throughout the book of unease, uncertainty and fear that something was about to happen. The description of war time Paris where Gestapo raids are part of everyday life added to the already tense atmosphere as no one knew who would be next. The authors use of real places that were used by the Germans as headquarters or offices helped make the story and events more real.
I have long been a fan of strong, confident female characters so I was thrilled that this book contained two of them. I loved reading about their exploits and how they never let being a women get in their way. Both women go through a huge journey throughout the book as they discover what they are capable of. This is especially true of Edie who starts the book with people being unsure that she’ll make a good agent to her becoming a confident and capable agent towards the end.
The tension in the book is gradually increased as the book goes on. I don’t want to say to much about what happens as I don’t want to give anything away but towards the end I found myself holding my breath as events unfolded.
I thought the ending was brilliant and very fitting for all the characters involved. I wish it hadn’t ended there as I would have loved to have read more about what happened next but maybe, hopefully, there is a sequel planned.
This is Clare Harvey’s second book although this is the first one I’ve read. Her first book, The Gunner Girl, is a prequel to this one and feature Edie again. This book can be read as a stand alone book through, which is what I gave done and it works perfectly well.
Huge thanks to Jess Barrett and Simon & Schuster for giving me a copy of this book.
About the author:
Clare Harvey is an ex-army wife. The Gunner Girl, her debut novel, was inspired by her mother-in-laws experience during WW2 and written while her husband was on active service in Afghanistan. She has travelled widely and worked all over the world, doing voluntary work in Tanzania and as a journalist and tutor, in Nepal, Germany and Northern Ireland. She hitchhiked from Zanzibar to Cape Town, and went to work for an overseas charity before falling in love with a soldier. She now lives in Nottingham with her family.
Find out more:
Facebook: Facebook.com/clareharvey13
Twitter: @ClareHarveyauth
Website: http://www.clareharvey.net
Her next novel, The Night Raid will be published in hardback 27 July 2017
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